His Wish
by callmejasper
Summary: When she notices Giles has lost himself in his past, what will Willow do to make his life worth living again?
1. If I Had A Gun

**Title: **_His Wish_

**Chapter One: **_If I Had A Gun_

**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Sorry.

The ice had barely stopped cracking by the time Rupert Giles finished his glass of scotch. He had long since lost count of the numbers, but judging by the continuous drooping of his eyelids, he would venture to say that he had had plenty. Though not nearly enough. He grabbed the bottle and poured himself another glass, absentmindedly humming along to the music drifting across his living room. With tumbler in hand, he ventured over to the record player. He watched the needle dance along the visibly scratched surface for an eternity, the words of Roger Daltry forcing him into a past life. She was alive then. She was smiling at him, a true smile that reached her glowing eyes. She was his. But now she's gone. Giles yanked the record from its temporary stage and threw it against the wall, not even flinching as shards ricocheted around the room. This had been going on long enough.

Six months. Two weeks. Six days. Twenty-two hours. Thirty-seven minutes.

That's how long he had been without Buffy. His Slayer. He had failed her and let her die. What did he have to show for the work the two of them had accomplished? Vampires still roamed the streets, though not nearly as freely due to the increasing numbers of Potentials on patrol. The Scoobies had settled all over the world. He received the occasional letter from Willow, and Xander and Anya had finally gotten him to use the internet and supplied him with a webcam. But things were different. The conversations seemed forced and every individual was worn and tired. Giles was usually drunk, too.

"Bloody hell." He tossed the tumbler aside, settling instead for sipping straight out of the bottle. The room was too quiet now, so he put a Pink Floyd record on and collapsed back onto the couch.

_Knock. Knock._

He glanced at his watch. 10:45 PM. His new Slayers were out patrolling. If they needed him, they would have called on the house phone. He decided to ignore the tentative knock and took another swig of scotch.

_Knockknockknock._

"Go away, please!"

"Giles?"

His eyes fixated on the door. That voice. He jumped off the couch, only to fall back down on the floor in a drunken heap. Cursing, he voted on crawling to the door and latching on to the knob to pull himself up. So close. She was so close. He opened the door slowly.

She was there. In every meaning of the word, she was _there_. She seemed... childish, almost, glancing out at him from under her eyelashes. She wore torn blue jeans and a tattered jacket, a backpack slung across her shoulder. It looked like she hadn't showered in days... smelled that way as well.

"But... you - you're dead," Giles stammered.

"Please let me in," Buffy Summers begged. "Please, Giles."

"I held you. You died in my arms." His voice was shaking. "I couldn't save you. I buried you!"

"Giles! Please."

It was nearly 3 AM by the time Buffy had finished her story. It seemed too simple. Too remarkable. Too... eerie. She was given another chance. By whom? She couldn't say. She was given a chance at a real life. To experience the things that she had missed out on as a Slayer.

"I just woke up one day," she said, cradling a steaming cup of hot cocoa. "I was in some forest. I hitchhiked my way here."

"To England."

She grinned sheepishly. "I may have been a stowaway..."

Giles removed his glasses, intent on polishing them, but instead placing them on the coffee table. He ran a weary hand through his hair and found himself staring at the young woman before him. She hadn't changed at all. And, yet, she was incredibly new to him. Things he had never noticed before now jumped out at him with a startling need for discovery. The way her eyes always seemed to be hiding something. The sunkissed tone of her skin.

"You're not wearing a suit," she stated, a bit startled.

"Ah, yes. It, um, it seems inappropriate now." He looked down at his current attire and grimaced. He was clad in a faded pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. He hadn't felt the need to get dressed up in his normal outfit because - well, there was no need.

"You look... weird."

"Erm, thank you." He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was right in front of him. Not dead. Very much alive. "Do the others know of... this?"

"No. I wanted to see you first." She paused. "I needed to see you."

"But... I'm sorry, it's just all very, very new. I'm not quite sure how to progress from here." He closed his eyes briefly to stop the world from spinning. "And I'm quite, quite drunk at the moment."

"I've noticed. I've understood everything you've said." Buffy smirked. "Why don't you go to bed? I'll find a place to crash tonight and we'll talk in the morning."

"Just stay here. My bed is quite large and it's been quite lonely with just myself as the occupant."

"Giles, you're drunk. I can find a place to stay."

"No." His green eyes met hers. "Stay."

* * *

><p>"<em>If I had the time, I'd stop the world and make you mine... And everyday would stay the same with you.<em>"

Buffy rolled over and stretched languidly. The unfamiliar feel of a mattress under her body seemed both intrusive and comforting. She could smell a faint spicy scent in the air. Glancing to her left and noticing that Giles was no longer there, she buried her face in his pillow and inhaled. That's where the spice came from. The familiarity of Giles' personal smell filled her with an unknown comfort. She was back.

"_Give you back the dream, and show you now what might have been... if all the tears you cry would fade away_."

Was Giles singing? She tiptoed to the kitchen to find her Watcher at the stove, making what looked like pancakes. He was barefoot and... bare chested. Buffy found herself blushing, but also undeniably curious. She took in what she could see. Broad shoulders. Muscles rippling under a slight layer that comes with age. Who knew that the stuffy Brit would be so... normal?

"You sing well," she finally said. He jumped a bit and turned to face her. She blushed again. The view from the front was even better.

"Ah, Buffy. Good morning. I'm just, um, making pancakes. Is that all right for breakfast? You look like you could use a few carbohydrates and, um, a few pounds, as well, couldn't hurt." He realized he was rambling and she could see him mentally slap himself. "Coffee? Orange juice?"

"Coffee, please." She smiled. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Oh, it was of no concern. You needn't thank me. I'm just..." For once, Buffy saw a true grin on her Watcher's face. "I'm glad you're back. A bit perplexed and more than a little curious, was it a spell? Are there magicks elsewhere that I've yet to research?"

"Giles, hush. Just be happy and make breakfast." She settled down at the bar and looked out the window. She had never been to England and was curious about the local life. The pubs and museums and scenery and history and - oh, God. She was excited about history? Things must have really changed. With curiousity getting the better of her, she turned to watch Giles finish breakfast. He had set a cup of coffee down in front of her, made just the way she liked it. More of a light tan color than the black coffee he preferred, but she loved the way it tasted. He moved around the kitchen gracefully, yet he still maintained the meticulousness she had seen so often.

"Giles?"

"Yes, Buffy?"

"Will you help me?"

"Erm, of course, but with what?"

"Life."

* * *

><p>Buffy had settled down with a book and a cup of tea Giles had provided her, basking in the warmth of his fireplace. She had enjoyed the few days she'd spent in England and was beginning to realize why Giles chose to return to his homeland. It was quiet and relaxing with a certain feeling of home. And Giles was a wonderful host, giving her whatever she needed to make her comfortable. He was a wonderful host.<p>

The front door creaked open and Giles peeked his head in.

"Um, Buffy?"

She glanced up from her book to see Giles smiling from the entryway. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

"You've got some guests."

He opened the door and the Scooby Gang stormed into the living room, pouncing on Buffy with unchained enthusiasm. Giles watched on happily as the friends reveled in the life of their best friends, so glad to find Buffy alive. Their eagerness was infectious and soon Giles found himself in the middle of a group hug, laughing with gusto at the unbridled love that filled the room.

"Buffster! We thought you were dead!" Xander finally let go of the Slayer and settled on the other end of the couch with Anya, who seemed uncomfortable with the emotions of the room.

"I was! Well, kind of." She chuckled. "You know me. Always dying and coming back to life."

The day passed on comfortably, with the Scoobies catching up and Giles, of course, supplying them with homemade meals and paternal advice. No, Anya, it's not weird for a couple to have sex multiple times a day. Yes, Willow, I am supremely happy that you have escaped the Black Magicks that held you captive. No, Buffy, we cannot go to a pub, because they're slimy. Yes, Xander, Buffy is really alive. Yes, self, this is what true happiness feels like.

He glanced to where Willow sat cross-legged on the floor. She was staring at him, a curious smile on her face. He cocked a questioning eyebrow at the young witch, but her smile just grew. She knew something, he deduced. And when Willow knows something, no good ever comes from it.


	2. Was It A Dream?

**Title: **_His Wish_

**Chapter Two**_: Was It A Dream?_

**Disclaimer: **Same old, same old. Not mine.

* * *

><p>Willow looked down at the tear-stained letter she had received a week ago. Judging by the ink blots and mistakes in his normally careful penmanship, he was drunk when he wrote this. Probably still drunk when he mailed it. She wondered if he remembered sending her a letter this personal. Since Buffy's death, she had grown close to her Watcher, keeping her sane and – sometimes – talking him down from suicide. She had received many letters leading her to believe he knew his time had come, even if he had to do it himself. In the past six months, she had flown to England at least once every two weeks to spend time with the lonely man. His haggard appearance broke her heart. She reread the words he had spilled on the page, almost having the words memorized by this point.<p>

_Dear Willow,_

_I am fairly certain you are sick and tired of my self-loathing words, but this will be the last letter I will send to you. Of that, I promise. I would just like to get these words out to somebody who will appreciate them for what they are worth. Well, they are no longer worth anything, but at one point, they were worth more than the world._

_I was in love with Buffy Summers. I still am, I suppose. She held herself with the grace and power of someone much older and wiser than her years. I watched her mature into a lovely young woman, one who would never notice her "old" Watcher. It broke my heart to watch her throw herself at these men unworthy of her love and devotion. They would never give her what I could._

_But, alas, she is gone now. She has left this world without knowing my true feelings. I was a selfish coward for keeping them to myself. At least they are out in the open now. I trust you with these words, with my secret. I look forward to seeing her again. Maybe I can let her know, then._

_I wish I could have given her a normal life. One she could share with me. We would have had a beautiful family._

_I love her so much, Willow. Now she will know._

_Thank you,_

_Rupert Giles_

With a sad smile, Willow folded the letter up and tucked it away in her purse. She thought back to the evening she had spent with the Scooby Gang. She knew Xander and Anya lay tangled in each other's limbs on the sofa, Xander snoring lightly. Giles had offered Buffy and Willow his bed, offering to sleep on the floor. The young women accepted readily, Willow noticing the Watcher and Slayer sharing secret glances throughout the night. Both fell asleep with smiles on their faces and Willow knew her spell was finally coming through for once.

* * *

><p>"Child! Multiple! There are children!"<p>

Anya's terrified voice carried up the stairs and into Giles's bedroom, waking up the sleeping inhabitants. Giles opened his eyes slowly, his body screaming at him for sleeping on the floor. He was no longer the young man he used to be, that was for sure. He scratched his chest sleepily, stopping when he noticed Buffy was watching him through sleepy eyes. He smiled slightly, but it disappeared when Xander joined in on Anya's cries.

"Giles? Did you take up kidnapping as a hobby?"

Confused, Giles crawled out of his makeshift bed and ventured down the steps, freezing when he noticed there were three children who had joined Xander and Anya on the couch. Two boys, who looked like twins, were looking at Anya curiously. The blonde boy wore spectacles similar to the very ones on Giles's face. The other sported shaggy brown hair that constantly fell into his bright green eyes. A little girl, no more than three years old, crawled slowly into Xander's lap. Deeming it comfortable, she snuggled into his chest and closed her eyes in contentment. Giles watched the scene in utter confusion.

"Hey, uh, G-Man?" Xander gestured to the young girl. "This isn't mine."

"Daddy!" The young boys leapt from the couch and latched onto Giles's pajama-clad legs. They looked up at him with the most adoring eyes. They looked to be maybe six or seven years old, and they eerily resembled the man patting their backs awkwardly.

Buffy stumbled down the stairs but stopped in her tracks when she noticed the scene unfolding in front of her. Giles was clumsily clutching to the railing as two young boys attempted to climb onto his back… but he was laughing. Xander was cooing to a toddler on the couch. Anya looked a little uncertain of how to treat this "child thing." Buffy watched her former librarian as he continued down the steps, a brown-haired boy on his back and another sitting on his foot, holding onto his leg like a lifeline.

"What's going on?" Willow had snuck up behind Buffy and was watching the activities with amused eyes.

"Um, there are children here," Buffy offered lamely. "I think they belong to Giles."

"What? I didn't know Giles has kids."

"I don't think he did either. They just kind of showed up… and he seems to like them."

"Well, of course he does. He's always wanted a family."

Buffy turned to Willow with questioning eyes. "How do you know that?"

The Wiccan shrugged. "He told me. We talked a lot after… you know. You died."

Buffy turned back to the living room, where Giles and Xander were discussing breakfast plans. They decided on Giles making pancakes while the Scoobies tried to figure out where the hell these children came from.

"So…" Buffy sat on the coffee table in front of the crammed couch full of children and a very confused couple. "What are your names?"

"Tyler, Spencer, and Emma," Giles called from the kitchen. Buffy caught his look of utter surprise after he offered the names.

"I'm Tyler," the brunette boy said proudly, jutting his chest out in an act of machismo. He pointed to his brother. "That's Spencer. And Emma is the baby."

Caught off-guard, Buffy left the children with her friends and joined Giles in the kitchen. When he heard her approach, a furious blush spread across his features, getting lost under the collar of his t-shirt. He had no idea where those names came from. And then it hit him.

"I dreamed of having children," he started, pouring some batter on the griddle. "Twin boys. Spencer and Tyler. And a little girl, Emma. I was going to spoil my little princess and her brothers were going to protect her. They were going to grow up to be gentlemen, having nothing to do with the Council. Just normal boys. I had a feeling Tyler would be a little heartbreaker, always wreaking havoc. Spencer would be more like me… quiet and reserved." He sighed. "But it was just a dream. This is just a dream. There's no way you could show up at my house, rising up – again – from beyond the grave. And then to have my, my children from dreams just appear from nowhere. This is… this is bizarre, Buffy. Completely impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, Giles." Her own words surprised her, but she believed them with all her heart. After all, she had died three times thus far.

"Buffy, my dreams are coming true. This isn't possible. And why only me? Why not your dreams? Why not Xander, or-or Anya, or Willow?" He flipped a few pancakes onto a plate and handed them to her. "Set those on the table, please?"

Buffy wandered to the dining room, her thoughts racing. Her dreams? She was alive. She was with her friends and family. This was her family, after all. What other dreams did she have? She no longer had to worry about slaying. It was time for her to live a normal life. That was her dream.

"Pancakes!" The children raced to the table, with Xander carrying the little girl, pausing when he realized he had no idea where to put her. Giles brought the final plate of pancakes to the table and sat down, taking the girl from Xander and placing her on his lap. She smiled up at him and clapped happily as he offered her a piece of breakfast. While she munched noisily, Willow watched her family eating. Giles spread an unhealthy amount of butter on his flapjacks, disregarding the syrup entirely. Buffy, however, drowned her portion in maple syrup, so much so that there were a few pieces of pancake floating around her plate. She glanced at the young boys, Spencer smearing butter all over his pancakes while Tyler poured the remaining quarter of a bottle of maple syrup on his plate. Her eyes widened as everything clicked.

"Oh, my God," she whispered, before clamping a hand down on her mouth when everyone gave her strange looks.

Anya, never one to miss something, made a quick sweep of the table. "The children! They have two parents! Giles, are you and Buffy orgasm friends?"

"Anya," Xander chastised. He then looked from the children to the Watcher and Slayer. "My God. It's true!" He paused, blushing a bit. "Congratulations?"

* * *

><p>"This can't be happening," Giles repeated for the thirtieth time, pacing the deck behind his house, an "in case of emergency" cigarette dangling from his lips. "I have – We have never – Not to say I wouldn't – These children – Buffy, I just do not understand."<p>

"You said your dreams were coming true," she offered. "Did you dream of this? Of a family?" Her voice lowered. "With me?"

He removed his glasses, polishing the lenses while thinking of an appropriate response. "Um. Well. There were times when… Yes. To put it simply, I did wish of a family with you."

"Why?"

He took a long drag of his cigarette, knowing he would no longer be able these emergency stress relievers if the children were to stay with him. "Since… Do you remember the dancing demon? When Sunnydale was taken over by the embarrassing singing sensation?"

"How could I forget?" She rolled her eyes. "Spike declared his feelings for me, Dawn sang about math, and Anya did a pretty rocking anthem about bunnies."

He chuckled slightly at the memory. "Yes, well, that was… quite an experience. You sang something that stuck with me. You said it didn't matter what was causing the singing, so long as we were together. You looked at me and I saw something different in you. Something that, erm… it was intimate, I suppose. I saw you in a different light. You had just been ripped from Heaven, an afterlife of peace and happiness. But you still believed in us." He looked at her guiltily. "The dreams started that night. It's been almost… almost constant since then."

She gazed curiously at her Watcher. The smoke rising in a haze around his head, its wispy tendrils stroking his face. He was avoiding her gaze, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from watching him. His eyes were focused on something beyond the tree line, a mountain in the distance capped with snow. These past six months had aged his face, adding a few lines around his eyes and mouth. She knew they weren't from laughter, but from frowning.

"Would this make you happy, Giles?" She asked quietly.

He didn't answer. He just flicked his cigarette off the balcony and walked inside, muttering something about needing a shower. Buffy watched him leave, not saying a word. There was something going on with her Watcher. Something not good.

* * *

><p>"<em>My intentions never change, what I want still stays the same. And I know what I should do, it's time to set myself on fire."<em>

Willow didn't even bother knocking on his bedroom door. She just barged in and yanked his guitar from his hands. He didn't even put up a fight, just stared straight ahead, continuing his song.

"_Was it a dream? Was it a dream? Is this the only evidence that proves it? A photograph of you and I."_

"Giles." Willow's voice was quiet, yet stern. "You have three children downstairs wondering where their father went. Buffy still hasn't come inside. Anya is becoming a little jealous of the attention Xander is showing the kids instead of her. What's wrong? Isn't this what you wanted?"

His eyes shot to hers, a hidden glimpse of Ripper trying to break through. "This is exactly what I want, Willow. But it's not real."

"What do you mean it's not real? Buffy is here. Those children want their father. What isn't real about it?"

"All of it! Damn it, Willow, you did this!"

She looked as if he had just slapped her. "So what if I did? I wasn't going to let you kill yourself, Giles. You have something worth living for now. Fucking accept it or I can take it all away."

With that, she spun on her heels and stormed down the stairs. Giles cocked an eyebrow at the wall. Willow had just cursed at him. That wasn't like her at all. He ran a weary hand through his hair and sighed. A glimmer caught his attention from the corner of his eye. The sun was peeking through the curtains and reflecting off a polished silver picture frame on his bookcase. He hadn't noticed it before. He sure hadn't placed it there. The picture was of him and Buffy, happily embracing each other with grins on their faces. She was in a form-fitting dress of lavender, he in a stylish tuxedo. He closed his eyes and looked down at his hand, almost afraid of what he would find. No jewelry. No ring. But a tiny tattoo was etched onto his ring finger. _IIX-XIV_. Curious. He looked down at the corner of the picture. _14 August 2002. _They had gotten married nine years ago? Surely, that was something he would have remembered.

"Daddy, come play with us!"

A smile played at the corner of his lips. Yes, this was his dream life. But why should he wake up?


	3. Show Me

**Title: **_His Wish_

**Chapter Three: **_Show Me_

**Disclaimer: **Still nope.

Giles watched the three children sleeping soundly on his bed. He had taken them to the park when Buffy ventured back to her college campus, intent on going back to school. They had stayed for much longer than he had planned and the tots promptly fell asleep upon their arrival back home. There was a pulling in his chest that he could not describe as he looked down at the children… his children. He knew it was just a spell, but these three angels were his… and Buffy's. She did not take that news very well. After spending quite a bit of time moping on the balcony, she had rushed off to the campus, not saying a word to Giles. He supposed it was a bit of a shock to her. He had had years to get used to the idea, if only in dreams. But this was new to her. A new concept.

Emma stirred in her sleep and Giles noticed her face begin to scrunch up. Oh, no. No crying. If she started to cry, she would wake up her brothers. Swiftly, Giles picked her up and carried her to his reading chair in the corner. She clutched to his shirt, wrinkling the button down in her tiny fist, but he could care less. Placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head, he began singing.

"_Welcome to a special place, in a heart of stone that's cold and grey, you with your angel face keep the despair at bay…"_

The little girl's eyes began to droop closed, her hand still clutching to the Watcher's shirt. He stayed there, in the chair, until his own thoughts drifted into dreams.

_He held her tiny hands in his own, seeing every hope and dream reflecting from her eyes. Someone was talking, he wasn't sure who… at this point, he honestly didn't even care. She was his, all his, finally. After the years of wishing – of watching her grow into this beautiful woman before him, she had agreed to marry him. The day couldn't have been more perfect, either. Only the Scooby Gang had been invited. There was no point to have crowds of people watching this intimate moment. Hell, he didn't care if there were absolutely no people standing on that hillside with them. So long as his wife was standing in front of him, wearing that same damn smile he fell in love with all those years ago. He didn't hear a word the pastor said until the pivotal moment._

"_You may now kiss the bride."_

_Their lips met in a tender, but loving kiss. Every ounce of emotion from that special day melded together, pouring into a simple act of devotion. He could still feel it on his lips, all these years later…_

"_Giles… Giles…"_

"Rupert!"

His eyes shot open at the whispered demand. His lips tingled… they felt odd. Shaking his head, he looked into the softened eyes of his Slayer. She had a warm smile on her face as she took in the scene before her. Giles looked down, realizing that Emma was still asleep on his chest. He gestured silently for Buffy to wait a moment as he carefully picked up his daughter and placed her on the bed between her big brothers. He paused for a second, letting the emotions wash over him. His family. Dream or not, that was his family. His children.

He followed Buffy downstairs and they made themselves as comfortable as the awkward tension allowed on opposite sides of the couch. She fidgeted with her bracelet nervously and Giles noticed that she, too, had the tattoo on her ring finger. He reached over and brushed a finger over it, his eyes not meeting hers.

"I take it we're married in this dream of yours?" she asked softly.

"Yes." He gestured to his bedroom upstairs. "There is a, um, photograph of it upstairs. August 14, 2002."

"Nine years ago?" Her voice could barely contain her wonder. "How can… there's a picture?"

"Yes. It's mind-boggling to me, as well. That is a memory that I… I think I would remember."

She ducked her head to cover her blush. He noticed it, though. He noticed every little thing about her. He was his Watcher, of course. It was his duty. He noticed every uncertain glance, every half-smile Xander garnered, every stray tear over a lost love. He also noticed that it was never him.

"Buffy, if you… that is to say, if you don't…" He polished his glasses once more. "You don't have to stay."

She smiled sadly. "This is your dream, Giles. Not mine."

The words hurt. More than he thought they would have. He watched her face, begging to see any indication of what she was feeling, but she learned to bear her mask well. Her eyes held nothing and her mouth was busy trying to form words to calm the wound.

"But I…" She sighed. "I'm not sure I have a dream anymore. Ever since I came back, I don't know… I have a second chance to live a normal life. No demons, no vampires, no stress. The thing is, I don't know _how_ to live a normal life. I spent years perfecting how to be a Slayer. That's the path we both took. You spent those years training me to be that Slayer. The Chosen One. And for you, before that, were magicks.

"I don't know what life is like for a 'normal' person. Do I fall back into that shallow high school life I left behind? Boys, fashion, the latest trends… that just doesn't seem like something a Slayer should care about." She laughed softly. "I keep forgetting I'm not the Slayer anymore. I can _have_ whatever I want. Just gotta figure out what that is first." She rubbed the tattoo on her finger, her brow creasing. "Whatever it is… I know… Ugh, Giles, this is hard."

"You needn't say anything, Buffy."

"No, I want to." She took a deep breath and surprised Giles when she took her hands in his. "I want you there. Whatever this second chance means, I know I want you to be the one I share it with. I know you've got a lot on your plate right now –well, actually, we both do. You kind of swallowed me in your dreams."

He had the decency to blush. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. But I'm going to kill whoever did this."

"Erm, best not worry about that right now."

She gave him an accusatory glare. "You know who did it."

"Well, yes, but it's of no importance right now." A slight smile tugged at his lips. "You may continue telling me how you want to spend the rest of your life with me."

Buffy's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, cocky much?"

His lips broke out into a smug grin. "You started it."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. I would like to spend this second life with you. And… our children. In this life. Dream life of yours."

"Very eloquent."

"Giles, may I -?"

Her question was interrupted as Tyler and Spencer came barreling down the stairs with Emma scooting on her bottom behind them. Tyler jumped on Buffy's lap, wrapping his scrawny arms around her neck in a shattering hug. Spencer, ever Giles's son, crawled onto his father and merely leaned his head against Giles's, their foreheads touching for a brief moment before he pulled away with a shy smile on his face. Emma, jealous of the attention her brothers were getting, thrust her chubby arms at her parents, demanding to get in on the love.

"Daddy. Up."

Giles closed his eyes as he picked up his daughter, fighting the overwhelming emotion that threatened to well over. The simple act of a child's word could never have meant more than it did at that exact second. Even Buffy looked awestruck.

"I guess… I guess this life wouldn't be so bad," she admitted.

* * *

><p>"So, you're staying with Giles?" Willow asked Buffy as they strolled around the land surrounding Giles's house. Willow had brought ice cream and ice cream cones for the kids, but of course, the young women were enjoying the treat during their walk.<p>

"I don't know. For now, yes." The former Slayer sighed. "It's just… it's so much to wrap my mind around, you know? I was dead a few days ago. Now I'm married with three kids… with Giles! I mean, it's a lot to deal with."

"Do you want it?"

Buffy thought for a minute. Giles had always been there for her, even when she didn't want him to be. He had been the only constant source of comfort during her time in Sunnydale, holding her when she needed him to and chastising her when she deserved it. She couldn't imagine spending the rest of her life without him by her side. The brief time he had gone to England was torturous for her. Now she was being given a chance to spend her whole life with that man, with all the big work done and out of the way. Who would turn that down?

"Yeah," she finally replied. "I do want it. I've wanted it for a while, actually."

"I know." Willow smiled slyly. "I read your diary."

"You _what_?"

"I'm sorry! You were, you know, dead, and we were going through your things to pack up. Giles wanted to keep some things and me and Xander wanted some things to remember you by and I found your diary and I just kind of kept it."

"You have my diary?"

"Um, yes?"

"And you've read it?"

"Also a yes."

"So, you know…?"

"Everything. Third yes is a charm." Willow sat on a lone rock, looking up at her friend's worried face. "Why didn't you say anything before – you know, you died?"

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning for that whole death thing to come along now, was I? And, it's not that easy, Wil. I couldn't just walk up to Giles and tell him, 'You know, I kinda like you. No, more than that. I kinda love you, Rupert Giles. And you look damn good in that green sweater.'"

"He does, doesn't he?" Willow agreed with a laugh.

"God, yes. That's irrelevant, though. Kind of. Geez, Willow, I didn't know how to tell him. How do you tell the person who's been by your side for years that you're in love with them?"

"'Giles, I'm in love with you.' Then you kiss and have lots and lots of babies."

"Looks like that part's been done for us," Buffy commented, sighing.

* * *

><p>"Can we watch 'Spongebob' now?" Tyler begged, pushing his empty plate away. "We ate all our food."<p>

"Yes, I suppose you did." Giles helped Emma out of her high chair and ushered the three into the living room while he cleaned the table off. He made a mental reminder to pay Xander and Anya back for all the supplies they'd given him. And he must take the children to purchase more clothes in the morning. And enroll them in school. Was Emma old enough for school? Would he stay home with him? He shrugged and continued cleaning as Buffy walked through the front door, arms loaded with shopping bags.

"Did I miss dinner?"

"Yes, but, um, there's still some in the refrigerator. I saved some for you." He snuck a peek into one of her bags. "What did you get?"

"Just, um, things…" Buffy ran quickly past Giles and bolted for the stairs. Giles, however, was too quick for her and grabbed her around the waist, pulling him back to him. He held her to his chest, their eyes roaming about their faces. Giles noticed his breathing had quickened and Buffy looked up at him through veiled eyes. He didn't know what to do at this point. Would it be inappropriate to instigate something? Would she even be receptive? He didn't need to second guess himself anymore, as Buffy leaned forward and closed the gap for them, kissing him hesitantly. He responded to the kiss passionately, burying his hand in her hair and using his left hand to pull her closer to him. To say sparks flew would be an understatement. Their hands explored the contours of their bodies, Giles straying a little too often to cup Buffy's backside in his large hands. Her own hands explored the broad surface of his chest and back, surprised at how sturdy it was against her palms. She didn't know why it shocked her. Giles was nothing if not her support.

They pulled away, their breathing labored. Buffy noticed a spark in Giles's green eyes that she'd never noticed before. He was happy. She felt something swelling inside of her, knowing that she could do that to him.

"Well, erm…" Giles ran a shaky hand through his hair, a shy smile on his face. "What's in the bags?"

"Oh, um, I bought a puppy." With that, Buffy rushed up the stairs before the words could sink in.


End file.
